Former Subway Spokesman Jared Fogle Sentenced For Posessing Child Pornography And Having Sex With A Minor

Jared Fogle, whose weight loss story became a national phenomenon in years of Subway ads, was sentenced Thursday morning to 15 years and eight months in prison for possessing child pornography and having sex with a minor, the Indianapolis Star reports. The sentence was longer than prosecutors requested.

"Not a day will go by when I don't think about what I did to [the victims]," Fogle said in a tearful statement. "I so regret that I let so many of you down."

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The FBI raided Fogle's home in July, possibly in connection to Russell Taylor, the head of his foundation, who was arrested for possessing child pornography. (That charity is now being called a sham, with most of the money raised going to Taylor's salary.) Fogle ended up pleading guilty to possessing child pornography and crossing a state line to have sex with a minor.

During the sentencing hearing, forensic psychiatrist John Bradford said Fogle was attracted to girls between 14 and 17 years old, and started to look at pornography while he was in college, the Indianapolis Star reports. He ended up spending a minimum of $12,000 a year on prostitutes. Dr. Bradford has diagnosed Fogle with "mild pedophilia," but says he focused his actions on 16- and 17-year-olds, not pre-pubescent children, though he did watch pornography of younger children.

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He also added that Fogle's 200-pound weight loss may have triggered his behavior. "Once he lost weight, it seemed as though in a short time he had hyper-sexuality," Dr. Bradford said. "There are brain disorders that can be associated with sexual drive." Fogle's treatment plan may include counseling and antidepressants; he has already gone through 100 hours of therapy with psychologist Rick May, who also testified during the hearing.

Fogle gave lurid details about having sex with minors in secretly recorded audio, taken by former journalist Rochelle Herman-Walrond and broadcast on Dr. Phil. She says she wore a wire for four years and sent the clips to authorities. In the clips, he asked Herman-Walrond if he could see her children naked.

Critics have raised questions about how much Subway knew while they kept him employed as a spokesman. Back in 2011, the company says it received one "serious" complaint, but there was no mention of "criminal sexual activity" involved, so they didn't do anything about it. Subway ended its business relationship with Fogle after the raid.